Dolphins Bills Week 8 Recap

tough times. Indeed we'll get through it. Here on the recap edition of the Drivetime Podcast with some quotes from Brian Flora's postgame My five takeaways, including the mistakes that got us here, the defense playing good but not for long enough, the special teams struggling to find their form, and everything in between. From the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the Drivetime Podcasts.

Dolphins dropped another game. It seems like a long long time ago that they were want to know coming off a road victory in New England. Seven straight losses and the fourth straight after three games where the Dolphins lost. On the final play, they take Buffalo to the break tied three apiece, had a chance to take a lead a few times there, and mistakes continue to plague them, but they really hung in there in this game that not many folks gave him much of a chance in,

and that was encouraging for a while. But then it kind of hit that point where things began to unravel, as they seemingly have pretty much each of the last seven weeks here, and we lost the thread from there. But then the offense goes on to score some points and the defense has a chance to get off and get the football back to them after a great decision to go for two points, which we'll talk about here later. This game, to me was such a microcosm of the

season in so many ways for this football team. You can't get complimentary football from more than some brief stretches. The offense goes and scores, defense has chances to get off the field and just kicks themselves enough to where they can't do it. Buffalo goes down and gets points of their own. You play well for seemingly, you know, for big stretches through the first half of the game. Basically seemed like nine of ten plays we're going in

the Dolphins direction. But you still find yourself tied barely up three nothing in that first quarter or in some cases behind on the scoreboard, where you've done the same thing in previous games, and in this game tied at three three a half time after kind of shooting your best shot, and I'm not having their best half with that quarterback, with that offense on that sideline. If you're up three three after that, it's not gonna be good

at sleeping giant awoke in this game. The mistakes, mistakes, mistakes, mistakes, correctable mistakes, as we heard from head coach Brian Flores, And that's the most frustrating part. I talked to my co host in the w w q A M five sixty post game show Seth Levitt after we left the post game show on Sunday night the station, I should say, and I just told him this, this roster, it's not it's not as bad as the plays would indicate or the results would indicate. It's a there's a lot of

good talent on this football team. This coaching staff has previously show own you their metal in many ways, and so that's what makes it so frustrating me is this team, again, I don't know how much just subscribe to that you are what your record says you are, but in the NFL, really, at the end of the day, you are. And I just I don't see this team as a one and

seven football team. And that's what really kills me because these little mistakes, these untimely false start penel's not that's ever a good time to have a fall star penalty, failure to capitalize on Josh Allen throwing when he's in the grasp and not getting a takeaway there. It's a big, big opportunity to get one that we talked about in the Titans game last week. He had one of those

that got a big takeaway. Talked about it at nauseam with two last week, throwing a takeaway of his own when he was in the grasp, not making tackles, and me, you have chances to get off the field missing field goals. That's the most frustrating part to me is these these little things that continue to occur every single week. And that's where he won games previously, in those slim margins and find ways to beat good football teams by playing better and more dis upon football than them in the tough,

most important stages of the game. The complete opposite has happened here in one and then finally the first and fourth quarter offensively once again best moments for the offense. Second and third quarter an absolute valley as far as production there the third quarter just no offensive production once where from Miami. So same same story, different week, it seems like. And you know we're talking about Brian floor

is there. I thought he had another really good postgame press conference where he addressed many things as he does every week. But the might get sicky play that snapped off of his leg where he runs across the quarterback at the moment of the snap and causes a miss

a failure failed exchange. Geez, easy enough for me to say, causes a failed exchange and the Buffalo Bills take over it there when you had at least three points, are an opportunity for three points if not seven, right before the half and getting the football out of the break in the third quarter to really drive home one of our keys of the game this week. When the middle eight minutes Miami did good to get the football back

and have scoring position. Did well to get the football back and scoring position and drive down late and then get the football to start the third quarter, and it just was executed about as poorly as you can be, turned over in a key area on a on a bad pre snap alignment and snap and then just three and now on the third quarter to start that thing off where you have a chance to really keep the Buffalo Bill's offense on the sideline for like thirty forty

minutes of real time and pile up double digit points in the process. None of that happens, and it turns into being a fifteen point loss at the end of the day. So he talked about that. Brian Flores did, the failure of communication, the fact that you know, he busted his butt down the sideline for a possible time out on that call, then opted not too right at

the last moment. Something else talked about in the post game show that was coming off a time out so Waddle can't get lined up over there, and this is kind of getting into the first takeaway, but just the mistakes that continue to happen to us. Spoke about it too. He said it was a bad operation. Bad football has

to get better. And I always go back to this Bruce arians quote about how it takes about eight weeks or so to really get comfortable in a new system, a new offense, and of course case by case, right, that's how this league works, that's how that's how life mostly works. But you know, Bruce has won a lot of games in this league, so he's not a bad guy to quote. He talks about how it takes about

eight weeks to get familiar with the system. But here we are in week eight and not only are these issues persisting, they're seemingly increasing and these you know O J talked about this in the postgame show as well. How the play call is. The first part is your alignment, the second part is a shift or emotion or a key or read, and the third part is the actual play itself. And to not get the first part down, how can you expect to execute anything else when you're

not correctly lined up? So something we talked about a while back in the podcast, something the coaches and players have addressed here for us this week, and that makes it tough, tough to live, tough to win. I should say, make your living when you're executing that way and that way and coming up short in that area so often, so it's frustrating. I talked to the postgame show about how you know, how a little joy the game of football has brought this season for so many reasons, and

you know it's tough. I get it. I am you, I am one of you, guys. I'm a big fan of this team. So hanging their Dolphins fans, keep those chins up, and because that's all you can do right now, is too is set after the game. All you can do is keep going a few more notes here from the Brian Floors postgame press commerce before we get to my five takeaways. I want to I've been on he

talked about after the game. He didn't come to the podium for about an hour after the game, which is pretty rare, especially in my time here covering the team, and he he talked about that so that he sat by himself, let the players go out of the locker room, and the gravity of the losing street kind of weighing on him. That that part, you know, as someone that

sympathizes with humans, that killed me. Because this is a great man who is a good football coach, and it just kills me to hear him speak out on that.

And it's not just the fans that losing impacts guys, that these guys all wear it and it's hard on them too, harder, you know, should be harder, and it is much harder for those guys who have their you know, their livelihoods, and they're just once you put your, you know, hundred hours of work in every week into something to not get the results, I can't imagine that it's got to be very difficult on them. So I can. I can feel the gravity of Brian Brian flores his voice

when he talks about that. And then finally to wrap it up here, he he did mention that Preston Williams did not travel for disciplinary reasons to this game, and then he will be back with the team after the fact. So there you have it. There's some of the the presser notes after the game that I thought were interesting. Let's go ahead and dive into the takeaways here. I touched on this quite a bit early, but the five takeaway start off with number one. It's just too many

mistakes and it's the story of the season. And you can point to so many areas of so many different games where you can say, man, if that just goes a little bit differently, maybe maybe, but you know, ifs and butts and candy and nuts or something like that, first two drives of the game, We're moving the football very effectively. Passing game, running game is cranking. Myles Gasking picking up seven four five yard chunks, which is great

for this offense. Right. We talked about being a second mid to get the third short to convert on second and mid. It's to be able to use the first down plays after you convert a first down on the ground to go back to the air and get your chunk plays like it was being very effective opening up the middle part of the field for two to find Avante Parker on somebody those in breaking routes, you know, Jalen Waddle making some catches, get the football to his backs.

Everyone kind of getting involved there. But then you have some moments false starts, a drop pass, a blown protection and assignment, then you missed the thirty six yard field goal. I mean, really good teams do that, and I think the Chiefs last year were a great example of that where they I heard a stat where the Chiefs had like not covered, but like four spreads in the last eight teen games, and that was because to me, they

weren't playing up to their ability. They would have these just mistakes and mistakes and mistakes, and then finally they would have a quarter where Patrick Mahomes and the Boys would turn it on for points, and that was too much for you to overcome because you can't keep over that kind of firepower. We saw the Bills in this game. They had some mistakes. The Dolphins certainly were a credit

to their performance to Coslos mistakes. But what happens eventually they get into the third quarter, fourth quarter and they get on a roll that you just can't hold down those good teams for sixty minutes. But for a team like Miami who's struggling to find their way pretty much in all three phases, let's let's be real about that. To have those mistakes, you just there's no possible way you can win football games without formula. It's not going

to happen. So until they can clean up the mistakes and just get aligned and get their field goal protection to their field goal kicking or whatever the case may be on the field goals, three weeks in a row. They missed three kicks all of last year, that includes extra points. To get all that figured out, you're gonna have to do it if you're gonna win a football game. I don't care how many explosive plays or good moments,

are good stretches, or whatever the case may be. You're not gonna win football games if you continuously make those errors that are small margins but collectively and cumulatively add up to this grand total where you basically are giving the opposition more opportunities than what they deserve. And in this league, the players, the coaches, the teams are too good to consistently make those mistakes, especially the Buffalo Bills. But back to the mistakes. So the first two drives,

a false start, drop past sack, missfield goal. The final drive of the first half, you're driving. You convert on third and six, but you legal shift. You literally could have kept Buffalo offense off the field for for like forty five minutes at that point with a double dip. But then you get bailed out by a defensive penalty that gets you to drive going again. So you're still back on track to do that, and then you kind

of play it a little bit conservatively. I understand the the idea behind picking up a first down on second and two with thirty nine seconds to play, and Buffalo had no time outs at this point either, but you can obviously get the first down and basically ensure last shot, right, But man, against that team against Buffalo, I want touchdowns and sort of run the ball in second and two with it was like forty three seconds of the snap.

Fifteen yard penalty puts them down first and ten of the seventeen yard line, but it seemed like you were kind of playing for a field goal at that point to run the football there with two timeouts and still needed thirty three yards to find the end zone. Luckily they do get the fifteen yard penalty, but then write down a few plays later Waddle can't get lined up. And how often does it happen where guys are running around pre snap and you see big Mike Kasiki kind

of directing traffic. Hey, you're over there, now, you gotta go back over there and motion back across happens very frequently. And they talked about a postgame about the miscommunication of the personnel groupings and how different groupings caused or call for different guys lapp in different spots and whatever the case, maybe the operation has just not been good enough because

there's been too much misalignment here. And in this case, you know, Waddle is trying to get set while Kaziki has to go back in motion across the formation, and the snap comes off too early as the play clock winds down, hits him in the high and winds up being a fumble and the Bill is gonna take away. And what a momentum killer that was at that point of the game. So you're already halfway into the game, tons of tons of mistakes occurring, and then to compound matters,

the luck is just outrageous. Like I don't think Miami's bad luck away from winning games necessarily Excuse me, but there's been three instances of either muffpunts or reviewed muffpunts over the last three games. Two of them weren't called. One was actually didn't touch the guy. The Jacksonville ball hit his finger. You can see his finger move, just like it did in the Green Bay Arizona game the

other night on Thursday Night Football. You can see the finger kick up when the ball came up, and of course Brian Flores challenged that and didn't get the win on the challenge. The one last week hits right inside the pump, returners inside foot and I don't know how it misses him, but it does that's that's like the bounce of the football, bad luck. And then the one

today And I don't understand this rule. Instead of a potential recovery and the end zone for a touchdown, it goes into the end zone after the fair or not the fair catch. But the punt was muffed at the eight yard line, goes back into the end zone for a touchback because the Buffalo Bills recover it. Not a safety, a touch back. So he gains twelve yards because he

muffed the punt. And again you call it by the rule book, but to me the rule book, it seems weird that you would gain twelve yards when you made a mistake. That that part bothered me. Um just some some further notes here. Why is alignment such an issue? I'm not really sure why the case. Maybe eleven first downs to five first downs in the first half of Miami, what an advantage that they had there, And then at some point the third quarter was nine to zero for Buffalo.

I didn't see the final account. I think it was sixteen too. How you guys like me checking stats live on a podcast here sixteen first downs first down, So after eleven to five, Miami got five more first downs and Buffalo got nineteen. Are it's not a good winning formula. Buffalo six for thirteen on third downs, Miami four for fourteen on third down. So that's a big issue that the swing of the game. They're total penalty yardage nine for fifty eight from Miami. I mean, that's the nine penalties.

How uncharacteristic is that it's obviously not the big personal fouls and the big defensive pass interferences. There was a big defensive pass interference. We'll talk about that here in just one second. But getting behind the chains on second and fifteen, whatever the case may be, for the offense to go all offsides and a false start, it's tough to overcome that. And they seem to be putting themselves in those situations way too frequently. And you know, bottom

bottom third of the league right now. And penalties, yard penalties and yardage assessed against them just not who this team was previously. That's tough to overcome that, and they're finding that out the hard way. And again miss fielgil once again from thirty six yard for Jason Sanders really had a character for him. Takeaway number two defense. I wrote this down that they were one for seven on third downs. At one point they were seven drives into

the game and only had three points. But the middle of the third quarter, I wrote, I don't even care what happens the rest of the way, because Buffalo was at a hundred and twenty yards and one for seven on third down at this point into the game in the third quarter, And if I told you were going to get that kind of production, you'd say, Miami not only has a chance to win, they probably will because

three points on seven drives. The league average is a little bit over two points per drive, so every drive should equate to about two points. So for seven drives to equate to three points, that's you're in phenomenal shape. It's not rocket science to tell you that. You know that, But at that point, to be in that position and to not close it out, I don't know, like you you have to close the game out and play sixty minutes.

But the offense also has that responsibility to go ahead and make sure that you're rewarded and can maybe get more one dimensional in the later parts of the game because of your reward for playing such strong defense. So again, the complementary football aspect has not been good all year. But defensively, Miami's had two big stretches now against this quarterback who previously has just thrashed the Dolphins, and two massive stretches of play where he just couldn't really execute

their offense. You know, batted passes, the line scream and Gemmanuel had about a thousand of those today. Failed running place TFLs, mine's in the backfield, frequently, good coverage in the back end, pass breakups. It was all there. It was all there for the taking for the offense, and they just couldn't quite execute it. But defensively, I wrote down Josh Allen Javan Holland continues to do his thing.

On the very first drive of the game, pressures Josh Allen forces him to throw it away on third down after he made a fill and a run stick on second down. He has been hitting dudes all season long in his rookie year, having a tremendous rookie season. Emmanuel about rushing the quarterback, forcing him not just to move off of his spot, but the Dolphins sting with their gap integrity and their rush integrity and not building on

their lanes. I thought it was very good for the first part of this game, marrying up the coverage with the pass rush. It was very good in this game, the blitzing opportunities. And then there was a point in the third quarter, I think it was third and fourteen. You've been getting pressure all day, your game has been working all day. Your linebackers have been coming in all day with pressure, whether it was Duke Riley or Brandon

Scarlett or even a landing Roberts rushing the quarterback. Jalen Phillips, you know, Manuel about the guys in the defensive line will talk about and then third and fourteen and you kind of call off, You kind of call the dogs off, and Josh Allen winds up with all data throw and from that point forward he converted a third and fourteen. From that point forward, he he was barely under durest the rest of the game. So there was something that clicked in that third quarter for the Bills, or that

went off the rails for the Dolphins. Where this defense that we grew in love last year, grew a new to love last year, finds themselves back in the same position, playing aggressive football, some covers zero, some different games up front to create pressure and good covers on the back end. That timed up well with that squatting on those short routes,

and then it just kind of went away. We saw on the touchdown to just Stefon Digs where xaviing Howard's playing way off, you know when you're gonna send the pressure and you have to get the ball out quick. Allen made a great throw and that to kind of fade away from it and put the ball on a spot. But to me, I want x up there, you know, getting getting Digs his face and challenging him. So things

seem to turn that third quarter. But defensively on the whole, you know Ogba I talked about him, Holland I thought ray Kwon Davis was a load in this game. Christian Wilkins I thought was very good, as he has been all season long. Zack Seeler was there for a third and one stop like he just that's kind of his game, like third and short defense. Zax either so hard to get pushed on in those moments I thought we saw

again in this one. And then Adam Butler to the entire Dolphins four guys I talked about all training camp long up on the interior front, they were all very good. In this game, and Buffalo winds up with only a hundred and two rushing yards on the game. How many carries was that, Travis, I'll give you an answer. Well, it was twenty three carries, so it's about four yards per rush. But you consider Josh Allen's thirty four yard run,

you know, that's the big part of that equation. Otherwise, they won essentially most of the running downs in this game, playing very good run defense while while holding Josh Allen and the explosive passing attack kind of in check. They wind up going to Cole Beasley, which I'm okay getting beat by Cole Beasley because obviously your attention goes to Sefon digs five catches for forty yards. Gabe Davis is a big time player for them. Now four catches twenty

nine yards. Emmanuel Sanders had no catches on four targets. They took away all those top options. Then Cole Beasley winds up with ten for one ten and uh yeah, ten for one ten, no touchdowns, but that's a guy that I would challenge Buffalo beat with. So good good plan, good scheme, good defense there for about two and a half quarters and then things kind of seemed to just kind of go in the wrong direction. But in that you know, in that frame of mind, Jerome Baker misses

his first career game. I thought Duke Riley played really well. I thought Brandon Scarlett had himself a heck of a game as well. Off the edge, So both those guys played pretty well. I think Van Ginkla had a rough go. I think Roberts had a rough go as well, but those guys played well. The interior front played well. I have the coverage throughout the first two and a half course was sterling for Sanders to have no catches on

four targets. Byron Jones had a phenomenal pass breakup that saved a touchdown, basically on a ball that was behind his head and he reached back and made a great play on it. Nick Needham had one in on crossing route as well, but I wrote that before his game kind of you know, cold Beasley started winning that match up a little bit and then just tackling on the screens.

The Dolphins were so efficient tackling on greens outside and keeping the Buffalo Bills in those extensions of the running game, you know, at bay and forced into the third longs, which resulted in a lot of third down stops for this Dolphins defense. Again one for seven to start, and then you see how Buffalo kind of picked it up at the end to go six for thirteen, So basically every third down after that they converted. But on the whole, I think this was the best, one of the best

defensive performances on the entire year. I would even say almost better than the New England game, just because of the position they put the offense and for the first basically three quarters of the game, and really, you know, the two games combined against Buffalo this year is the best the Dolphins have ever done on Josh Allen. But even still mistakes Landon Roberts misses Josh Allen on a third and one running play where the Dolphins, by the way,

had him strung out. A few times he had the big run, but otherwise he was pretty much strung out against the running game or as in the running game, and Roberts had him dead to rights right on the forty yard line on a third and one play. Could have met TfL put yourself in position for a fourth and four, And this is when the game was still three to three and you missed the tackle and he

goes for a first down. A few plays later, third down again in field goal range, but still six or three is a great spot to be and Van Ginkle and a zero pressure with guys covered up all over the place, and the pressure gets home and Van Ginkle is the balls in the air, just goes and tackles Tommy Sweeney. Just can't have that. Like these mistakes plague you. They kill you. You can make nine good plays and one mistake will kill you. And that just seems to

be what's happening here for the Dolphins. Takeaway number three. You know, just a short one here, but play to play more to win, especially now that you're one and seven. Just some more aggression, please, because third and two on the fringe of field goal range, and we run right into a wall. And that's something you can kind of I think it goes. I don't know who who's responsible for, but whether it's the coach, the call, the check of

the last granch for two, a tongue of byloa. There's an eleven man box right there on third and two. You cannot run. You just can't run that ball because you're the running game is hat on a hat, right, and so if they have more guys than you can block, you're asking for trouble. So to run that football and third and two, I just didn't like that, and then the running play on the final drive before the Mike

Kasecki fumble. I just think when you're playing a team like that, you have to try to put touchdowns on the board, and not doing so it is a good way to lose the game. Playing not to lose. I thought that was a couple of curious calls in that regard for the Dolphins in this game. Number four Jason Sanders, I mean, more mrs this year than all of last year. Can bind. That's just it's tough to see because that

was a guy that was so reliable. I joked about it in training camp that he hits every single kick, and that was true. I never really saw him miss and so to come out and lose that weapon, or not lose it, but to have it be not consistent this year where he's you know, in these last two games you lose on the final play of the game. To not have those missfield goals kills you. And this one, I think it kind of dictated the end of the

game in a big way too. You know, you get a lead in that third quarter, maybe Miami can drive late in the game with a chance to you know, to come back and win that game because they have those extra three points. But just a kicking game this year has just been bad. It's it's a big, it's a big swinging the wrong direction and hopefully it gets going back in the right direction here quickly. And then number five is just a general takeaway from the game.

The team going forward is the Dolphins. Inability to consistently stretch the field makes life on them so tough offensively because the ball comes out quickly. But if you want to push the ball, you need guys that can create space downfield and get separation, get off the line, you need pass protection to hold up. And you know, as much as I love to his game, he's not the

hugest arm in the NFL. So all those things, to me kind of collectively come together to force you play to play in this really tight space at all times. And that's a tough way to make. Hey, man like you gotta be able to force the defense off the line a little bit. And Buffalo just squatted all day long and early on they were having success on those first window throws, second window throws, just having to kind of pick his spots and manage the defense that way

and find those holes in the coverage. And he did a great job, and the running game played into that. But eventually you have to get vertical, and the Dolphins just for whatever reason, can't find a way to get done. I think it's a collection of all those things that causes them to not be able to get vertical. But you know, the last two weeks, Miami had big explosive plays offensively and had a bunch of production offense to Lee and I saw Dan ps, the defensive coordinator of

the Atlanta Falcons, did a press conference. I think it was last week, it might have been before that, but he was asked about why they don't show more exotic looks and bring more blitzes and pressure the quarterback with more blitzes, and he basically said, what happened when I brought the pressure on this play, we didn't get home. And what happens when you have more guys that they can block, it means you have less guys to cover

on the back end. So he said, we weren't getting home on these pressure looks, and so I'm basically just not getting pressure while putting my defensive backs at a disadvantage. So I decided to kind of scale things back and go less complicated, less complex and complicated, and play that way. He adjusted to it, and so I heard him talk about that made me think about Jacksonville and Atlanta not having, you know, pass rushes that have accumulated a bunch of

pressures in the sacks this year. And then Miami runs into a team that we saw back in a week two who has done that with true four man rushes, with their blitz package game, and I just think that when you run into a defense that can do these things that Buffalo can and be so versatile, it's gonna be tough on you when you can't get vertical, because if you can't hold up and pass pro when they bring those pressures and those blitzers, you have no chance

of getting vertical, and eventually you become predictable and you have to play in a tight box. That was takeaway number five. The inability to consistently stretch the field makes life on the offense very difficult. Takeaway four Jason Sanders just more misses this year. Than all last year canbind just a cavalcade of bad things happening this season. Takeaway number three gotta play to win. Takeaway number two, the defense finally has a big day, but then it kind

of fizzles at the end. And take away number one just way, way too many mistakes consistently weekend and week out. Some players we talked about in the previous part of the show. Here some defensive players I thought played well. I thought Brandon Jones continues to show good work down around the box, rushing the quarterback, playing screens on the outside. Big fan of his game of what he brings. I mentioned brand Scarlett, thought he had his best game of

the year, best game as in Miami Dolphin. Eric Rowe had some good coverage reps on tight end Tommy Sweeney as well, I thought. I thought Byron Jones was really good exabing Howard had some really good moments as well in this contest. A big pass break up in the end zone mentioned, Wilkins mentioned, Butler mentioned, Seiler mentioned Rae Kwon Davis. A bunch of good but not enough good

from the Dolphins team. And then offensively, I thought DeVante Parker was really good until of course that final drop you had at the end, but Parker winds up leading the team eight catches for eighty five yards on eleven targets, Kasiki three forty eight, Waddle four, Gaskin three for nineteen and then after that one catch for Laird, one catch for Shaheen, and one catch for Savon Akmed. Real quick

before you go to the post game show. Here, the two point conversion call at the end of the touchdown drive was my favorite call of the season for this Dolphins team because here's what the analytics tell you. Fifty or two point conversions are about a little bit more on the offensive advantage. Actually, it's about fifty two in favor of the offense. So if you know you have to score two touchdowns to win the game, if you go for two twice, math tells you you'll get it once, right,

That's kind of how the math works there. And if you get it the first time around, well, great news. You don't have to go for two again. And when you kick the p A T on the game tying touchdown drive, you're gonna win the game. So I love that call. Great analytics call there for the Miami Dolphins.

Go after that two point conversion and convert it as well, and then also want to make a mention that the pass from two to Mike Gasicki on fourth and six to extend that drive and really extend the game at that point, to get out of pressure, step up through the pocket, throw a lofting pass right over the top of the underneath coverage. Great play there from TWA and Gisicky to make that conversion so that you have it.

Those are my takeaways. That's my podcast. We're gonna play a segment from the postgame show here on the other side of the outro, but in the meantime, that's gonna be my time. You all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast. Leave us a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me on Twitter at Wingfold NFL. Follow the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the Fish Tank podcast Sean Smith in the Tank this week. You do not want to miss it. Great

episode coming up your way. Check out the YouTube channel for our media availabilities as well as Dolphins Today with Me and Joanna and Rachel, and of course Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time depends up Caroline Daddy, It's coming and Now, please stay tuned for our first segment from the post game show on Halloween following the Dolphins and Bill's game on five sixt w q AM, N point nine, Kiss Country and the Odyssey app. You can

find us every single Sunday after Dolphins games. Myself, Seth levitt O, j McDuffie from The Fish Tank Podcast here on the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network. Here is the first segment from Sunday's postgame show. Well, what's up, Dolphins, and welcome to the fifth Quarter Show on the Miami Dolphins Radio Network. The Miami Dolphins Podcast Network is all here, Seth levitt O, Jim mcduffee, DJ Priest from The Fish Taker here with us, yours, Julie, Travis Winfle from the

Drive Time Podcast and guys. Another tight game, even competitive through about three quarters there, but it's a seventh straight loss and juice. Right before you got here, Seth said something that I think is kind of a microcosm of this team this year. This team is just not good enough to make these kind of mistakes, to be this bad, he said, And I know there's one mistake that continues to pop up for you. This team shows weekend and week out eight weeks into the season. That's really have

been eating out you juice. Yes, as a professional football team, and let me tell you this, a team that spends hours and hours and hours per day in the facility getting ready for a game. The misalignments and guys be on the wrong side of damn field not knowing what they're supposed to be, causing penalties, causing fumbles is inexcusable. I mean, you know, I didn't. I didn't want to come in here like I was a couple of weeks ago,

like I rate. But you know, when you're in a game, in a battle against the number one team in your division, you've got opportunities to make plays. You cannot be excuse my friends stupid because that's where we were today. Stupid, and it's ridiculous for guys to not line up the correct way. You know, I was watching but on TV and they were saying, well, Ghasicki had the motion penalty on the first one that wasn't on the Ghasicky that

was on Waddle been on the wrong side. Gasicki tell me to get on the other side, and waddles still in motion. When Gasicki has to go on motion so we got two guys in motion. We had the first downplay the layard that would have worked out for us, and then we look at it again, Gasiki telling the waddle again you're on the wrong side, so waddles on the wrong side there again, Kasiki has to go on motion. Then we have the fumble. So miss a linement. Not

know when we're supposed to line up. That's the easiest thing. That's the first thing that's called. The first thing in the huddle that's called is the lineman set up where we're at all right? So it's all right or lightning left or whatever it is, it's right away. Then the motion comes in. Then the play call comes in. So how the hell are we not able to do those simple things when it comes to call on the play? So how's that on juice that you tell me? Because

honestly me, who you tell me? It's on the players when it comes to when the player comes in, the first thing that's that comes in is how are we going to line up trips? Right? The first thing they say, and they're clearly working on it all year. I mean, every press conference that coach Flores has, everyone's in three years starts with alignment, assignment, it's the first word out of his mouth. Correct, So it's got to be stressed in practice. Here's the thing I'm saying, no to those

You think about that now and within practice. How many times they redoing this? How many times are they saying, all right, you know, we we called bingo with the high school team I work with Archbishop McCarthy. We're not. We're we're on our way up. Get a little plug there, We're not with those same times are American heritage, you know,

Carla gives. But at the same time, though, the first thing you do before you run any play is trips right, trips left, eighth, right, eight left, you know, whatever it is. And then you start these. Then you messing your motion laser ze, laser X, laser, X light, whatever it is. And then you you put your play in for protection for you guys, and then you you call the play seventies protecting All right, now, all go X stop whatever it is. So everything starts off with how are we

gonna line up first? And the fact that we can't even line up first on all offense, that's that's ridiculous. This is wet. It's not even with O t A s with preseason, with training camp, and eight weeks into the season, we can't even freaking line up. Is amazing to me. Soup on that Gasicki player where he runs into the snap, and that's where the game basically turned from Miami. They have a chance to take at minimum a three point lead into the halftime break but wind

up getting nothing out of it. Where I mean, you had a chance to go to the end zone as well, so you could have really taken control of this game while getting the football back. And one of my personal keys of the game was win those middle eight minutes. And they've never been in better position to win the middle eight minutes this season than they were today, and

they completely flubbed every step of the way. So on that play, juice, because you're you're telling us about how Waddle was was misaligned that he was, and we see that so often we're Kasicki, hey get over here, you're over there, you know, just telling someone someone to go somewhere. But on that play, Waddle eventually gets set. So why does that come back to being his like on him

when Gasicki runs into the stuff. I just I'm looking for education from you, exactly right, It's a great point right here because at that point now we're up against the play clock. So now that waddles on the wrong side, we still have motion guy, which is Ghasicki has to go from right to left on the formation. Has to do. He has to that's part of the play. So he has to get over there. So let's let's go back to the first one first, all right, the first one.

I can give Kassicki little heat on that one because he really if he has to go in motion and there's time on the play clock, he needs to let waddle get set first because he knows he cannot go in motion until waddle is set. So Wildle being on the wrong side started off wrong. But once he gets to the right correct side, now Kasicki has to sit there and watch waddle gets set before he goes into motion. And now we had the two guys going at the same time, and we had that first down the layer

that was called back when the second one. Now you got wad on the wrong side and Kissicki has to go and it's get play clock now between the quarterback and center exchange. I don't know how that ball gets snapped before he gets to the side he needs to get to. So the ball snap when Gisiki is stilling the motion office a lineman don't know this man. They don't care about what's going on behind them. All they

know is that the ball asked me snapped. The things they gotta worry about on the skill guys not getting set, not being on the right side, and the motion became a problem, you know, when we went out there with that. So so the flag comes out the minute those guys moved at the same time, right, So that place already killed because no matter what you gained, you've already committed

a procedural penalty and it goes back five yards. So I'm sure Mike is thinking about that in the back of his mind when he comes back out for that second play and thinks, I gotta get over there, because I think the play cock wasn't like two or three seconds when they had that ball snap, So he's probably thinking, you know, I gotta get my butt over the thoughts we're gonna lose five yards here. You know what some guys could do, Travis, Honestly, when that happens, forget the motion.

When you see him already in there and you've got play clocks situation a lot of times time now it's called because you know we're gonna be up against the clock, and we when we know we have motions. But Mike could actually go to where he's supposed to be, where he's gonna end up before the snaps and eliminate the

motion completely. So if he sees that waddles on the wrong side and he goes and sets up, Mike instead of doing his motion, just get over there now where I gotta be, because I know we're up against the clock, three or four seconds left on the on the play clock, and then run the plate from there. And so and I want to get into more of that because it's fascinating to me, and especially that, I mean, you're eight weeks into your season and that's happening and and that's

mind boggling to me. But bigger picture, right, just to take a step back and look above at a high level, nobody in the universe, in the galaxy expected the Dolphins have a chance in this game. And yet on that drive they have an opportunity to go up red should have been up six or ten, right, you missed the

thirty six yard earlier. Earlier, you miss one. There you're playing against the class of your conference, not to man, you know, the class of your division, certainly of the conference probably, and and you've got them on their heels. You're giving them all they could take and more in their house after getting embarrassed in your own house. Thirty five nothing. And I say this all the time, guys,

you cannot miss out in scoring opportunities. You're just not good enough to This team does not score enough points to just miss thirty six yard field goals to come away with nothing when you're on the twelve yard line going in. And they were in this game, they had control this game, like you were saying, Travis, and yet they fall apart, and now it's three to three going into a half, and then what happens Then Buffalo shows

who they are. It's been consistent, not good enough to be this bad end of the half, beginning of the third quarter has been the worst. And we had the best situation we've had all year, going to the end of the half with the football with a chance of score points should have been probably seven, no less than three, and then getting the ball back after that when we

three o the worst situation. You know, we we we took the best scenario and turning into the worst possibilcome And that's just that really kind of is what we did all year long. And it's heartbreaking to me. Again, not that not that anybody drew it up and said, well, this is when we're gonna get back on in the wind column. This is the game, right, we're gonna right the wrongs. But clearly they they came ready to play. Well,

let me take a step back to defense. Then well, I just in general, they came out and they kind of had that that fire in their eyes. They did not want to be embarrassed. Again. This is what we thought we were going to see when they played the Bills the first time, because everybody had in mind the way that the season had ended previously, and you know, six straight losses. It's all right, these guys are ready

to play. But I don't understand how we're talking. We opened up the fifth quarter postgame show talking about misalignment in in the week Gate a week this season, and you said, it breaks your heart just you know, with the way they lose this game. But I think the reason it does is because that's the opposite of who this team was for two years on their Brian floors, they were the least penalized team or one of the

top couple of the least penalized teams. And they were always aligned and had their assignment and we're smart on special teams and just found ways to win those hidden margins. And now, you know, for the fourth for the fourth time this season, really because they lost their last three games in the last player of the of the game for the fourth time. Really, you feel like they lost

in the small margins. And that's where I got away from them, Juice to your point about coming on that position where you might call a time out, I was thinking to myself, they probably didn't call a time out because they just came off of a time out. They did, but it wasn't Miami who called it, so they could have come to a time out. But the bigger point to me there is that they were coming off a

time out and they still couldn't get lined up. That is that is huge right there, you know, because you know, yeah, you're right, Buffalo gave us an opportunity to get the best situation. So even in that situation, we still come out of the break miss aligned, you know, with the player I don't even know what. It doesn't even matter what the play is, the fact that we can't even line up right, which is the most important thing. You know, first thing is I keep going back to this. First

thing you do is alignment. The second thing you do is center quarterback exchange. You know, when it comes to a play, we can't line up right, so nothing else is gonna work out in the long run. Man, And it's a it's a bonehead situation for a team. I don't care if you're a rookie or a tenure guy in the in the league. You spend so much time doing these things that it doesn't doesn't matter. Those are the simple things. Those are the simple things when it

comes to playing football. Now you gotta worry about adjustments, you know, when when the balls snapped, whether they're doing defensively, where's this guy going, where was the coverage going. We can't do the first thing, how the hell are we gonna do the rest of it? That's that's the question, right exactly. That's that's why you are in this position where you are. Where towards the bombing the league and most statistical categories offensively